The ambush from the last floor was felt throughout the crowd.36Please respect copyright.PENANABMybqyP5BB
36Please respect copyright.PENANA9Knjl1FBLh
Even though Juke and I weren't affected, the other's faces were considerably downtrodden. Some members were now left without a partner and had to team up with people they weren't very familiar with. Morale was low, especially since our leaders were missing.36Please respect copyright.PENANAmg7VGd0j6H
36Please respect copyright.PENANAazVnApeTyJ
The remaining group was small, too. Only about eight people were left, meaning that, with the five remaining floors, some were simply required to take them alone. There was chatter of moving as a single unit, taking on each room as a whole rather than having forces split from the group, but others countered that doing so would be abandoning an order and that we had to "trust our other members."36Please respect copyright.PENANAVmD2slBySa
36Please respect copyright.PENANAJG3TN5Ho6d
As for me, my nerves only spiked. The image of all those fallen bringers was engraved into my mind, and I desperately tried to keep the word "corpse" out of my head. Over and over, telling myself that they were simply unconscious when the right side of my mind constantly told me otherwise–
**SLAP**36Please respect copyright.PENANAIDVc7FWYB7
36Please respect copyright.PENANA9Lnc4NSHJr
"Ack!"36Please respect copyright.PENANA6l2dfIk1MI
36Please respect copyright.PENANAO8nvInxwPH
I wasn't prepared for the strength I slapped myself with. My muscles were incredibly tense, and I hadn't even realized.36Please respect copyright.PENANA0ILZgCHyjF
36Please respect copyright.PENANAU4UGqGf3Ee
"No use in thinking about it. No use in thinking about it! Come on!"36Please respect copyright.PENANA2FREdJbWUt
36Please respect copyright.PENANASJzhk4yOA5
I steeled whatever I had left of my resolve and kept trudging through the stairs. I had a complete vision of the crowd, and it made it apparent just how thinned out it had become. To my great dismay, I could even see Rover.36Please respect copyright.PENANAEF7hZZzTg5
36Please respect copyright.PENANAHJPFTiVBcD
"...Useless–!"36Please respect copyright.PENANArqUqRRNqfi
36Please respect copyright.PENANAh0Nsd11WWs
I tried not to think about anything that. I knew I couldn't suspend it for long, but every second I could force my legs forward was valuable. So I ran and ran and ran and ran and–36Please respect copyright.PENANAyBzIYygAZT
36Please respect copyright.PENANAJI2TLx3UCg
Suddenly, I noticed something. Though I naturally hadn't been paying much attention to her, the person beside her had changed.36Please respect copyright.PENANAhWeqUDfqnO
36Please respect copyright.PENANAb3SbK05lH4
And it was someone I recognized36Please respect copyright.PENANAH2hljcYBht
36Please respect copyright.PENANAXJrel6BaPL
–
–
–
The most grueling part of this siege hadn't been the laborious running. It hadn't been the various enemies, the threat of death or even seeing allies fall like flies in the previous ambush. No, for Rover, it was restraint.36Please respect copyright.PENANAakQMmyMg7L
36Please respect copyright.PENANA6AiM4UJmtf
To do nothing in the face of Hard-Bringer gave her near-uncontrollable rage. Those she swore she'd see crumble, running amok and stealing lives as they always have, unable to even point her weapon at them. If it weren't for those looming words by that wimpy child, resting in the corners of her mind like spiders, she would've caved in.36Please respect copyright.PENANA0c8jps7Bif
36Please respect copyright.PENANAVFp9UGlXlL
Especially now that her surrogate partner was a completely new face.36Please respect copyright.PENANAIfICax3AsD
36Please respect copyright.PENANAjkMIZvtXMj
"Hi."36Please respect copyright.PENANABT5joT88gU
36Please respect copyright.PENANAMcw4RAtM4B
As she raced up the steps, a man in glasses only a little taller announced himself. She could see him facing her in her peripheral, and though her habits urged her not to, she matched his gaze.36Please respect copyright.PENANAS1QTxpSEXE
36Please respect copyright.PENANAKUTaJAh3sY
"What!?"36Please respect copyright.PENANAP4mveKEoSG
36Please respect copyright.PENANAmjFTD5v7FJ
Though, perhaps, she should've spared an extra second checking her tone.36Please respect copyright.PENANAIXipk741FP
36Please respect copyright.PENANA0Qn3gm8z85
"S-Sorry for the intrusion, ma'am! I just thought we'd familiarize ourselves."36Please respect copyright.PENANACLhDpCG44N
36Please respect copyright.PENANA0bnlY4zMuC
His nervous expression didn't loosen one bit. When Rover tried a softer face, the sweat on his brow multiplied. Rover gave up appearances, quickly discarding dismissive dialogue before her introduction.36Please respect copyright.PENANAIMkfM1n5EM
36Please respect copyright.PENANAIt0JzfEHFb
"I'm Nigel. You're the volunteer, aren't you?"36Please respect copyright.PENANARtKzoJIKkS
36Please respect copyright.PENANAEq9WrIRnfs
"Volunteer makes it sound lame! I'm Rover! L-Let's work well together, alright!?"36Please respect copyright.PENANAE5dsviAE2b
36Please respect copyright.PENANAtRiuXWbbXg
Nigel's tense expression eased a little. He worried about a sudden reassignment just as much as Rover did.36Please respect copyright.PENANAzmm7980LEu
36Please respect copyright.PENANADm3lFLEJlD
"I know this is a bit impromptu, but my partner perished on the floor below. Thank you for bearing with me."36Please respect copyright.PENANA69jH9fKVwQ
36Please respect copyright.PENANACB2jiaCkob
He raised his right hand, one that clutched a metal collar with a tag. Rover knew immediately who it belonged to, and the unusual idea of consolement entered her mind.36Please respect copyright.PENANA0bzocRt2T5
36Please respect copyright.PENANAOpjDX68wwk
"That... that's really bad. I'm sorry for–"36Please respect copyright.PENANAxswS7OHaPO
36Please respect copyright.PENANA9VgRtDpB7B
"Don't worry about it. You've suffered a similar fate, haven't you? We're in the same boat."36Please respect copyright.PENANApVEXUDrSVJ
36Please respect copyright.PENANA3y45m5a9BR
He kept a smile with those words, but his eyes lacked the light to convince her. He turned his head away, and the two of them kept running up with their usual worries.36Please respect copyright.PENANAADjoRYg5YC
36Please respect copyright.PENANARLzOEXJUAK
And then, finally, they hit a flat surface.36Please respect copyright.PENANArZLdgBg2Yu
36Please respect copyright.PENANAFTU3qhlkFC
"The next room's up ahead!"36Please respect copyright.PENANAoiygdU4s84
36Please respect copyright.PENANAFaEsgRYMgH
She had been in this scene nearly a dozen times already. And each time, she dreaded it. Sprinting to that door, knowing that there would be a monster in man's skin. She swallowed that dread like before, and each time, it poisoned her blood further and further.36Please respect copyright.PENANAWZZ2zCxC9s
36Please respect copyright.PENANAE7lRShHoqs
The crowd made it to the room. It was relatively small, but an immediate feature was the giant stained windows, granting a tinted view of the city outside. Rover gave minimum attention to the stature of the room, however, because there, by the exit, sat a man who could only be described as–36Please respect copyright.PENANAJUS97DeqFE
36Please respect copyright.PENANA9cTrBhnCmc
"Holy shit! Are ya a titan!?"36Please respect copyright.PENANAkPDI1NO5RX
36Please respect copyright.PENANASMjh2wfGym
Rover glanced behind her, realizing that Juke was the one to yell that. She saw Kenny near him, huffing with his hands on his kneecaps.36Please respect copyright.PENANATcugftFxzl
36Please respect copyright.PENANAtX7AZMlKUG
A titan. It was a familiar word. She heard it from the stories her mother told her. But, of course, there were no titans in King's Peak, only tales of them.36Please respect copyright.PENANAQqs7AMj2R8
36Please respect copyright.PENANAI24ij4oJRt
But, even if it was only in name, the titan a man was. A member of Hard-Bringer with such size, and his head nearly reached the ceiling when he stood. Such monstrous height intimidated nearly everyone, but for Rover, it was the opposite.36Please respect copyright.PENANAYnkXT2pjVo
36Please respect copyright.PENANAex9O96FRkO
Rover recognized that height. Rover recognized that build, even though it was concealed by robes, and as the man went to pull his hoodie down, the face that appeared only confirmed her intuition.36Please respect copyright.PENANAVELhv2TR3N
36Please respect copyright.PENANAFZ9hqlDq2S
"This is where your advance ends– huh?"36Please respect copyright.PENANAWkpuSu3yjr
36Please respect copyright.PENANACqeGNTTlDG
The towering man stopped his speech, compelled by the dashing girl with a rapier in hand. She leaped forward and stuck her foot out, but the man blocked the kick by raising his arm. Rover then thrust her blade, and the man narrowly dodged by tilting his head. However, his angled head was grabbed by her free arm, and through a feat unexpected of her size–36Please respect copyright.PENANAsS7AtH5syj
36Please respect copyright.PENANAaxo5lXw8aB
**THUD**36Please respect copyright.PENANAyikElaRuP7
36Please respect copyright.PENANApZ7ECaf7xZ
She shoved the man down to the ground. She immediately followed with a thrust, but she only caught his robe, and the man scurried away.36Please respect copyright.PENANA4qJu2tp6rv
36Please respect copyright.PENANAY6gZlB938F
"...Same tricks as always."36Please respect copyright.PENANA6EJxh79ts2
36Please respect copyright.PENANAbi6bUiJmYt
Though her snide remark was entirely unperturbed, the rest of the room stared with mouths agape, as if they had just witnessed alien life.36Please respect copyright.PENANA6vTcVd3y40
36Please respect copyright.PENANAOl7E64gMNj
"Hoh– it is you. You!"36Please respect copyright.PENANALQPqk9kQ3n
36Please respect copyright.PENANAkd9FHr6CIw
Because, the once hulking, monster of a man, was now suddenly the size of a teenage boy.36Please respect copyright.PENANAbEQiSCsjaU
36Please respect copyright.PENANAov7tE91g8F
"I never expected to run into you today, Rover! Hahaha!"36Please respect copyright.PENANAQ0D4TCyH6b
36Please respect copyright.PENANA62TTWg5TMO
The crowd was stunned. Only one member moved through the shock, and everyone stared to find it was Nigel.36Please respect copyright.PENANAcL9B4gZxha
36Please respect copyright.PENANAMVXYEkmmPp
"Everyone," he shouted. "Move on, we'll take care of things here!"36Please respect copyright.PENANAW8q41eTY87
36Please respect copyright.PENANAS1hU7qCVJX
Rover pointed her weapon at the man, a clear warning to stay in place. The man obliged without much resistance, and Rover turned her head to make sure everyone would leave. But then she noticed how Nigel didn't move one inch to that door, and his use of 'we' only just registered in her mind.36Please respect copyright.PENANAGtkDMWqjYV
36Please respect copyright.PENANAmQ7iHcD1Qq
"Nigel."36Please respect copyright.PENANAbsmmrPnqeQ
36Please respect copyright.PENANAsGWHS5egfs
"Yes?"36Please respect copyright.PENANAzTSQVwGFpM
36Please respect copyright.PENANAaunzzGp2cu
"Leave. I'm fighting this one alone."36Please respect copyright.PENANAU23ybh7tlP
36Please respect copyright.PENANAF1Y2VKKsLv
"...You're kidding me, certainly."36Please respect copyright.PENANAQATzpvpYRd
36Please respect copyright.PENANA5Q2hJowlFc
Rover shook her head back and forth.36Please respect copyright.PENANA3v8NpN8Nj9
36Please respect copyright.PENANAmtgIMSvekH
"Do you honestly think you can take him alone? You saw what he did, didn't you?"36Please respect copyright.PENANAtCa3ZCFaEX
36Please respect copyright.PENANA3j8qJhMTRS
"Of course I did. And I know how it works."36Please respect copyright.PENANAi88hMkkwpJ
36Please respect copyright.PENANAp94CRB2xDP
"You fought him before, then?"36Please respect copyright.PENANA33hQ3ZAIps
36Please respect copyright.PENANAjDDfXT7o6q
Rover quickly nodded. Nigel looked at the man with a constrained face, balling his hands into shaking fists. After an irritated, almost hopeless sigh, he complied. But not before one final word.36Please respect copyright.PENANAXOsQSTajNc
36Please respect copyright.PENANAD2OntG2Xcn
"Aren't you and I a team? Are you absolutely certain?"36Please respect copyright.PENANAE30F2R408E
36Please respect copyright.PENANAgLackaooJq
Operating on instinct, Rover nodded, but then his opening question computed with her, and her eyes suddenly constricted.36Please respect copyright.PENANAlVSUr2fv3m
36Please respect copyright.PENANAwv65D6uwra
"Very well! Don't die on me!"36Please respect copyright.PENANAMQTmHezyFQ
36Please respect copyright.PENANATkAqm8PLVW
His opening words caught Rover like a chain. It reminded her of that moron's scolding, forced her to consider her vow– her earnest word that she'd cooperate –and inquired why she didn't abide by them. But Rover answered that inquiry easily.36Please respect copyright.PENANAqg5CmkwBzC
36Please respect copyright.PENANA1w5wfeyuDq
This man wasn't just a Bringer. She had a history with him. This man was an enemy. A bipedal wretch, barely human, who boiled her blood and furrowed her brows.36Please respect copyright.PENANAhAvJptEHI3
36Please respect copyright.PENANA7U2Snj6b3X
No, now she was certain of it. This monster had to fall to her hands; anyone else would just be a hindrance. So she would take him alone, as she always had.36Please respect copyright.PENANAF4u321IN4n
36Please respect copyright.PENANA4CGrKPde6w
She looked back one last time, making sure that only she and the man were in the room. Nigel was gone, but to her surprise, there was still another member of the crowd there. He drew particular attention. Standing between the exit, not quite leaving it, with clear indecision festering within.36Please respect copyright.PENANAB3da3a5CNO
36Please respect copyright.PENANAWCaqIbHIEM
"Rover," Kenny suddenly shouted. Her eyes moved to his face, constricted and complicated. She was compelled to call it a scowl, but no scorn was in Kenny's face. Only concern, and disappointment.36Please respect copyright.PENANANDQKuowF69
36Please respect copyright.PENANApFfweP4VKL
Even without hearing it, Rover knew his words. It suddenly was difficult, to see his face like that. Now, the embodiment of that vow was staring directly into her. Not just at her eyes, no– she felt the observation of her soul.36Please respect copyright.PENANA4YrIK2srOk
36Please respect copyright.PENANARVtzxrQ6zf
"..."36Please respect copyright.PENANABx94RTs30p
36Please respect copyright.PENANAHKnh4pn6JI
It was suddenly difficult to do anything. And yet, the feelings that burned within her formed too great an inferno to douse. If that boy took two steps further into this room, or even one, she felt like she would lash out. She felt like– she knew she would yell at him not to butt in, to mind his own business, to go fuck himself, and to leave her alone. Words that she had slung candidly before. Words that she knew better than family.36Please respect copyright.PENANAXNimBZ8211
36Please respect copyright.PENANAidnkGGGtPK
And so, she communicated with a stern nod, and Kenny's biting mouth chipped his nail.36Please respect copyright.PENANAyOq7jVv9b1
36Please respect copyright.PENANAVK7qYda9al
"Fine. Good luck!"36Please respect copyright.PENANAqsky1dcZGc
36Please respect copyright.PENANAC0NijgQDPH
And then, he was off. His bidding of good fortune completely stunned her. However, she quickly recovered–36Please respect copyright.PENANAFqxRRU9EHB
36Please respect copyright.PENANABSKWBiUbrY
**THUD**36Please respect copyright.PENANA8gANYovREQ
36Please respect copyright.PENANAkOP6elWuw1
"Sharp as always! I'm a fool to think that would work!"36Please respect copyright.PENANAPIQ7Um3fNe
36Please respect copyright.PENANAtD5SGAwlh1
There came a sudden strike from her front, but it was one that she blocked. She freed her rapier from the struggle and backed away, brandishing her weapon and sliding a leg back into a stance.36Please respect copyright.PENANAZjUIM5SHhw
36Please respect copyright.PENANAb11vccybVb
"Are you ready," the man asked, a boorish smirk on his face. She could almost see the swirls in his eyes, the way they lost any reason, seeing only combat and carnage as they always had.36Please respect copyright.PENANA8CmpFbeqy8
36Please respect copyright.PENANAseIMqhqfpx
She tried to ignore the uncertain, guilty way her stomach formed a pit.36Please respect copyright.PENANALRN52c6XXt
36Please respect copyright.PENANAADnks7XT5R
"Come at me, Boris!"36Please respect copyright.PENANA9b26OUKMiy
36Please respect copyright.PENANAKipY9AnnZ1
–36Please respect copyright.PENANAFwRQZQS9xC
36Please respect copyright.PENANA0P5BLyZzFW
–36Please respect copyright.PENANAmCCTm0ocug
36Please respect copyright.PENANADEkV3m2VbB
–36Please respect copyright.PENANADTl8tPimR2
36Please respect copyright.PENANAU49OcBSq7Y
Right before she charged forth, her stalled thoughts sprung into action.36Please respect copyright.PENANAG43EbVgWHv
36Please respect copyright.PENANABl41SPWWCN
Rover knew of their volatile unpredictability. But she was always prepared for it. Even on that street, when they made their audacious announcement, Rover hadn't a shocked bone in her body. But to see Boris utterly defied expectations. She wished she had more time, maybe a moment to sharpen the tip of her rapier, to check the grip on her dagger. But it was too late now, and as she took her first step into battle, she lost all leeway to care.36Please respect copyright.PENANAP07MZQmfsL
36Please respect copyright.PENANAUHvyICxowZ
Boris contested her dash. As he charged forth his smaller stature expanded slightly. He leaped forward, but it wasn't to tackle or to grab. He swung his hips and turned ninety degrees, unbending his legs for a sudden drop kick.36Please respect copyright.PENANACrSuSF5Vzq
36Please respect copyright.PENANAbFn69YO971
Rover blocked it with her hands. His increased size made the blow harder to cope with, but she still only slid a foot back. Now on the ground, Rover seized the opportunity to stab at the man. She thrust once, and her sword was met with the sole of his boot.36Please respect copyright.PENANAsIFbUSHhf2
36Please respect copyright.PENANALl7XFQLE5s
"Huh!?"36Please respect copyright.PENANAoy8FcqVkI4
36Please respect copyright.PENANAZjW2EQW4nG
He spun onto his belly, catching himself with his hands, using her rapier as a borrowed axel. He pushed himself off the ground with enough force that, even with his lack of leverage, he flew as a battering ram toward her. Rover's rapier nearly snapped under the pressure, but she moved it away before its steel blade turned into a wobbly tube. She ducked Boris' charge, but he grabbed onto her rapier, swinging back around and destroying Rover's balance. Rover, however, had only one hand on that Rapier.36Please respect copyright.PENANA4SgvhY5YJm
36Please respect copyright.PENANAb5Fyo583RI
"Hah!"36Please respect copyright.PENANANjhOdIAGaR
36Please respect copyright.PENANAt2DrRuYY6A
She used her other to grab her dagger and stabbed at the man. He took the blow unceremoniously, even growing to lessen it, and she was sure it hurt by the subsequent grunt. He flew off her rapier a solid few meters away, taking Rover's dagger with his body.36Please respect copyright.PENANAu9l8AGvirk
36Please respect copyright.PENANAJbf6xDHGy5
But she didn't let up, because she knew that if she waited any longer–36Please respect copyright.PENANABA3bSODmyN
36Please respect copyright.PENANAESp65lFDKY
"Here!"36Please respect copyright.PENANAH6sakjq0C5
36Please respect copyright.PENANACuT9EWSSt4
Boris dislodged her dagger and he chucked it like a throwing knife. Rover caught it at one of its crossguards, but as she was distracted with doing so, the man performed mana spinning.36Please respect copyright.PENANAujOm9xxVCg
36Please respect copyright.PENANArBL2X3irbi
"Good thing that dagger's so thin. Otherwise, this wound wouldn't be so easy to heal."36Please respect copyright.PENANAN8BO1n7WtH
36Please respect copyright.PENANAasztKm1U9C
"Tch."36Please respect copyright.PENANARyGoSh0qOm
36Please respect copyright.PENANARWCcKYvVBq
Boris returned to his former size. He stroked his chin, tending to his thoughts as he stared down Rover. She afforded him no time and charged forth. She thrust her rapier once, met with a jerk away, and thrust it again. She repeated her thrusts, each of which dodged but less comfortably each subsequent attempt. Rover knew him better, however. She knew that right as she thought she'd get him, he would pull an underhanded trick. So she assumed the eyes of an analyst, narrowing them and gazing at Boris like a hunting cat.36Please respect copyright.PENANAfPw0ZqDm7k
36Please respect copyright.PENANAP6qMreOG3B
**CLANG**36Please respect copyright.PENANAf8uASsz1Wx
36Please respect copyright.PENANAnsuoal7YLH
And that trick came. Boris caught her thin rapier between his hands, clamping it so fiercely that the metal would snap any moment. But Rover's stance suffered no blow, and poised to strike back, she slung her leg from her side. The blow struck Boris right under the rib, and from his obvious wince, the damage wasn't meaningless.36Please respect copyright.PENANAWY57KD21Us
36Please respect copyright.PENANACNx3nOJPUH
She struck again quickly, sliding her rapier out and using the butt of its hilt like a rock, smacking Boris square in the face. Boris reeled from the blow and took a few steps away, but Rover swung her arm back and straightened her Rapier, honing in for a vicious thrust.36Please respect copyright.PENANAdNEJoYDuR2
36Please respect copyright.PENANAD3sHYk6api
That thrust, however, had been dodged. And the force Rapier stockpiled only sent her tumbling to the ground. She never landed, though, because a sudden fist to the face replaced her embarrassing fall with a punitive flight. She soared across the room, disoriented, anchoring herself on the floor with her Rapier right before colliding with a wall.36Please respect copyright.PENANA6GQrwEhPKv
36Please respect copyright.PENANAnnFcAQta5v
As she gathered her bearings, she saw Boris charging forth with a puffed chest. Only, it wasn't puffed, but swollen to inhuman degrees. The image of a bull came to her mind, and for a moment she was paralyzed. But she shook the intimidation off and stepped away, missing a blow that–36Please respect copyright.PENANABCRr6EsuNu
36Please respect copyright.PENANA5qkSh6ppKh
**SMASH**36Please respect copyright.PENANAW62TGsuDnH
36Please respect copyright.PENANAEMhwUZbmDt
–shook the room as it ruined the wall.36Please respect copyright.PENANACwaogTm17t
36Please respect copyright.PENANAnaAJknJzMZ
"Ack. Shit!"36Please respect copyright.PENANAcuJLUSa4tn
36Please respect copyright.PENANAmSld2hXGZU
Rover realized his reckless gesture was an attempt at an early victory, but she was too energized to fall prey to it, and now Boris was only more hurt.36Please respect copyright.PENANA2cjKAOZU76
36Please respect copyright.PENANAm0xYoZjoXb
"These tactics don't work how they used to. You've grown. Haha, you've truly grown!"36Please respect copyright.PENANA9LM3PJpymk
36Please respect copyright.PENANAw9wy0WFJEo
Boris deflated his comical size, returning to a more reasonable stature.36Please respect copyright.PENANA69PGgTR0l8
36Please respect copyright.PENANANBFp0jUVhQ
"But not enough."36Please respect copyright.PENANAuCkQqdXsnT
36Please respect copyright.PENANAuItdQJ7WLR
"--!"36Please respect copyright.PENANAVe4kk5ymEW
36Please respect copyright.PENANAtzDOM0TAcv
Those words, unlike anything prior, brewed steam within her head.36Please respect copyright.PENANAaN2kSb8bcl
36Please respect copyright.PENANAMVn0tlj0QB
"What the hell are you talking about? I'm kicking your ass!"36Please respect copyright.PENANAocQDaSO80A
36Please respect copyright.PENANAukPtdylNjM
He wiped some dirt off his shoulder.36Please respect copyright.PENANAG2oDBGujul
36Please respect copyright.PENANAbtHKH4f1Gh
"Your intellect hasn't improved one bit, has it? Can't you tell I'm still toying with you?"36Please respect copyright.PENANAB6AGGW9H7n
36Please respect copyright.PENANAt1v7No79fp
Her jittering mouth couldn't open to respond. So badly did she want to deny it, to call him out for being coy. But to do so, would just be to lie.36Please respect copyright.PENANAsYgBXRVwGY
36Please respect copyright.PENANA2q0ZwdSK8D
"I remember when you and I first met. Back in those ivory fields, when I offered you a home, you scowled at me and called me scum. That a bringer like me ought "36Please respect copyright.PENANA44jwCEKTop
36Please respect copyright.PENANAvbfrYSNN5h
"...So what? What are you getting at, shitface?"36Please respect copyright.PENANAf7M9u1yvCF
36Please respect copyright.PENANAdjqobt1BSX
He smirked. He placed his hands behind his shoulders, closing his eyes. Rover didn't understand what he was doing, and that worried her. That worried her deeply because she thought she knew every trick this monster could pull. She thought she knew every ace up his sleeve, every nook and cranny of his capacity.36Please respect copyright.PENANAd8G0NKAZIV
36Please respect copyright.PENANATUZLROtVnK
But, as she was proven yet again, keeping expectations like that was for fools.36Please respect copyright.PENANARRwOWcnyLA
36Please respect copyright.PENANA9Vc8NtzMLJ
From the back of his shoulders, cylindrical masses of earth formed, taking shapes and morphing as his hands moved outward. His arms stopped just above his chest, and as he lowered his arms, Rover's eyes blew open, her clenched throat vomiting a gasp.36Please respect copyright.PENANATCNiCK5x3m
36Please respect copyright.PENANAvB9sVEEDjK
"You talked so much of this goal of yours. Of how you'd beat me. Of how you'd prove yourself to me and all of my colleagues."36Please respect copyright.PENANAoxiWztPLJc
36Please respect copyright.PENANA2DuLqBVJbJ
From the back of his shoulders, a new pair of arms found home, and they pointed their fingers with snappy girth.36Please respect copyright.PENANAg4kuqXtvkJ
36Please respect copyright.PENANATfoz3KBf4D
"Hahaha! Come! Show me that this time, you'll do just that"36Please respect copyright.PENANA8RXbBfQfca
36Please respect copyright.PENANA7qpqcyzyk8
"--Fine!"36Please respect copyright.PENANAxmqd6v3v2v
36Please respect copyright.PENANAh1ESqhJfE8
Though the doubling of his limbs was obviously intimidating, Rover tried not to be dissuaded by his appearance. She charged forth, dagger now firmly in hand. After all, if she fought the new Boris with a stale arsenal, she'd be crushed.36Please respect copyright.PENANA2lYKrq8FYy
36Please respect copyright.PENANAXxpE8O4bye
She began with a thrust, and immediately it was caught by one of Boris' earthly arms, not budging an inch. He bent his legs and threw a regular punch at Rover, one she avoided with a backstep. Her rapier was now confiscated, and she watched Boris raise it with his earthen arms.36Please respect copyright.PENANAXkSZOTU3gk
36Please respect copyright.PENANAyO85JRvnYV
Something inside urged her to scream in defiance. To yell at that man not to do it, but she pushed that unburied temptation down with a commanding glare. Gazing at Boris as he snapped the rapier like a twig.36Please respect copyright.PENANAoT3EnFWbw3
36Please respect copyright.PENANALM5Hosypij
"Well," he asked, "what now?" He threw the split rapier to the side and taunted Rover, daring her to come closer. Rover didn't fall for the taunt, because what she had was not rage– at least, not at the man before her.36Please respect copyright.PENANADPa6CvVjUu
36Please respect copyright.PENANAjsCi7gRT0B
Rather, her shaking fists were directed at herself. She raised the dagger and looked at it. Despite its needle-like blade, the curved cross-guards made it a poor tool for thrusting. This was her only weapon. This and her fists, anyway, but if her past had taught her anything, it was that fists were a futile tool against him.36Please respect copyright.PENANAnDcyN7pcQq
36Please respect copyright.PENANA4vvpJqYuwB
"Completely still. But, of course, you lost your only way to kill me. Will you give up?"36Please respect copyright.PENANAFEQy9pribE
36Please respect copyright.PENANAnu8FKg0uTo
"...You're counting me out already. It's pissing me off!"36Please respect copyright.PENANAuOLoVo7ruT
36Please respect copyright.PENANAdvfi3BhlJ6
Yes, her remaining weapon was better suited to defense. Yes, she was physically weaker than Boris. But if her kit made it so that she lived and died by the presence of her rapier, she would've gone all those years traveling King's Peak for nothing.36Please respect copyright.PENANAiT5qB7OKsr
36Please respect copyright.PENANA8lCcvM7Cr5
"You've learned nothing, you overgrown oaf!"36Please respect copyright.PENANAR8WuDGK6eG
36Please respect copyright.PENANAk03gGJAFeb
Her free hand latched onto the strap around her waist, turning it and revealing the satchel that had gone unnoticed by Boris. Unzipping it and reaching for its contents, Rover pulled out an item that made his eyes widen. A thin, elongated, but sturdy vial, one that fits comfortably into Rover's palm.36Please respect copyright.PENANAga5dVDn2YY
36Please respect copyright.PENANABlKUYDx1wK
"...I see. Hahaha, I see! And what kind of exotic mana does that hold?"36Please respect copyright.PENANANAetoqvaBD
36Please respect copyright.PENANA6vnyX3U6M2
"Come and find out!"36Please respect copyright.PENANANsQykxUtm3
36Please respect copyright.PENANAjYiA72QGZc
And for the first time in the battle, Boris broke the neutral state, dashing at Rover with arms blazing. A result that came at the worst time possible. Because, although Rover revealed her condition for victory, not a single thought of how to use it came to her mind. And thus, she panicked.36Please respect copyright.PENANAkt0HtBHUHt
36Please respect copyright.PENANAEuuzoEtZQl
Fortunately, she was always a better runner than Boris.36Please respect copyright.PENANA5zvlNww3ht
36Please respect copyright.PENANA31JQXLID5l
"Get back here! Come on you coward!"36Please respect copyright.PENANAopTChcm2cz
36Please respect copyright.PENANAVl5vwZKvQr
Rover dismissed those venomous words. Or at the very least, she tried to, but its potent bite was felt throughout her body like the mountains of sweat her brow was producing. She had no idea what to do. For a moment she doubted that she remembered what the vial even contained. But one look at it, at its orange hue that signified distinct divergence, assured Rover that much.36Please respect copyright.PENANAzA3gZA5vwV
36Please respect copyright.PENANA8NbMaAhA2f
And then, the answer came to her. The wave of panic crashed with the gentle grace of summer water. She stuck the dense vial in her mouth and turned around.36Please respect copyright.PENANAkJJQvuvFYl
36Please respect copyright.PENANA5dksaSIp0Z
"Finally!"36Please respect copyright.PENANASzmj7hokvs
36Please respect copyright.PENANAvS5BOr5QxQ
Boris threw his earthen arms directly at her, which Rover dodged. In a bent position, Boris brought both his arms up to uppercut. Rover blocked one fist with her palm and stabbed through the other.36Please respect copyright.PENANAwLX18Rj2L0
36Please respect copyright.PENANAkn2SR0N7EF
"--Ack! Shit!"36Please respect copyright.PENANA6n4FQOFQI2
36Please respect copyright.PENANAap36ernkWV
The parrying dagger slid smooth like silk out of the wound. Rover dashed back immediately, anticipating some kind of reaction.36Please respect copyright.PENANAB02AKpdhCA
36Please respect copyright.PENANAgn4EJqQfuu
"...My fingers are broken. Just what is that dagger made of?"36Please respect copyright.PENANA9xW1OrAqBX
36Please respect copyright.PENANAYfTDAjKSit
And then a profound smile found itself on her face. He backed away to perform mana spinning potent enough only to close his wound. Those broken fingers were just what she needed.36Please respect copyright.PENANA2AF8nabWwV
36Please respect copyright.PENANAXw9gYRSzuk
She performed a swift dash, closing the gap between Boris and her. He immediately put his earthen arms up as a guard, disjointed just enough from his body to make an attack impossible. Rover thought this sudden focus on defense as suspicious, even as the mana spinning on his hand gave her a reason, so she dared not approach without caution. After all, with how volatile his size changes were, he could–36Please respect copyright.PENANALciHM2bBXo
36Please respect copyright.PENANAjVLCRTE8ba
"...!"36Please respect copyright.PENANAfLBK9shFgg
36Please respect copyright.PENANAJqVGFQb4Jk
Her past experience came to the forefront of her mind, and now she observed her reality with a perplexed perspective. He barely altered his size throughout this fight. He stopped only when–36Please respect copyright.PENANA2DFx8WyedL
36Please respect copyright.PENANAnpZXRRAo2J
"Ah-ha!"36Please respect copyright.PENANAhR5De2CoX5
36Please respect copyright.PENANADC17m3Gmvm
Though her profession of understanding was muffled by the glass between her teeth, it made the rise of her confidence no less explosive. She seemingly threw all caution to the wind, charging forth directly into his earthen arms. Boris dashed away, keeping Rover at a distance, but to no avail. Her speedy struts caught up to his back peddling quickly, and instead of attacking, Rover grabbed the earthen hands.36Please respect copyright.PENANAfZAROZ8Qxv
36Please respect copyright.PENANAumaeLHykyn
The gesture alone confused Boris for a moment, just enough to stun him for what happened next.36Please respect copyright.PENANAdwYwQoUv0g
36Please respect copyright.PENANAbIZtWtv5eR
**THUD**36Please respect copyright.PENANAUWcLik8JGH
36Please respect copyright.PENANAQ1jYZ83ykj
"Urk!"36Please respect copyright.PENANAVUSpaD9XoY
36Please respect copyright.PENANAk3BuNFtQUp
Using those arms like a swing, she propelled her feet into Boris' gut. But she didn't stop there. Because there was no better opportunity to do this than now. She pulled the glass right out of her mouth and popped the lid open, throwing it at Boris as she fell to the floor and rolled away.36Please respect copyright.PENANAlZlOyhjlWr
36Please respect copyright.PENANAbBVpnzYK6D
Now at a distance, Rover observed the magic. But no magic came.36Please respect copyright.PENANAoUmCNyuZ2f
36Please respect copyright.PENANA8J20yDktUI
"Huh?"36Please respect copyright.PENANAVvLFPX2BYG
36Please respect copyright.PENANA4Huy6mtw9s
There was a fluttering cloud of orange dust before Boris, permeating through the room like any ordinary gas would.36Please respect copyright.PENANA1Ts1i1yW3a
36Please respect copyright.PENANACbtUVN1pYF
"Haha! What was I afraid of!?"36Please respect copyright.PENANAk6jtyTki43
36Please respect copyright.PENANALKolPN3xrb
Boris broke into a bellowing laughter. He held his gut not only to soothe the pain but to hold back his chuckles. Rover knew he would've pointed at her had one of his arms not suffered damage, and though that made her bitter, she kept herself composed for the moment.36Please respect copyright.PENANAxw44E5AnTY
36Please respect copyright.PENANA0FRfUFuqNV
Boris quit his laughter, wiping a few tears out of his eyes. The orange cloud permeated slowly, so it still was rather thick, but that didn't dissuade Boris from sticking his head in and smelling it like morning air.36Please respect copyright.PENANAlJPU0bQGMx
36Please respect copyright.PENANAPHPBjkmlrA
"What's this? Doesn't smell like anything. You crack me up. At least you put on a good show!"36Please respect copyright.PENANA4iRzpuMMk1
36Please respect copyright.PENANAZRqXyW9w1F
Boris threw his arms wide.36Please respect copyright.PENANADfkbTJTumU
36Please respect copyright.PENANAUy3UpcJuyv
"But I like fights more than performances. I'll do both of us a favor and end this–"36Please respect copyright.PENANAt8gzhf61ic
36Please respect copyright.PENANA7Xn5jPDwbY
In a flash, as he spoke, as the spit flew out of his face, and as the lids of his eyes closed to blink, he raised his leg one step forward. With that leg, his body followed right after, crashing into the dust of orange, spreading it just far enough that it contacted the earthen arms.36Please respect copyright.PENANA2GEd85CCFs
36Please respect copyright.PENANA0zJ5WF9jHF
And then the magic happened.36Please respect copyright.PENANAIYj8RXN60D
36Please respect copyright.PENANAyy2UaA43CQ
**BOOM**36Please respect copyright.PENANA0VugvjX7L4
36Please respect copyright.PENANAVVSJnl8V9j
That cloud of dust erupted with volcanic ferocity, an explosion so small, yet so extreme that Rover struggled to keep her footing. A great cloud of smoke took the place of Boris' body, and Rover looked on with the slimiest grin she had ever worn.36Please respect copyright.PENANAejqYA3tejv
36Please respect copyright.PENANAptnNic13W3
"Heh. And I even figured out your actual size."36Please respect copyright.PENANA3G1ra4CC4k
36Please respect copyright.PENANA7S2RhpWCGH
She stood up and wiped whatever junk found itself on her shoulder. She approached the site of the explosion, and just like in her memories, it was near heatless. She didn't get too close, however. Just close enough to see Boris' crisps, when that cloud of dust would eventually fade.
36Please respect copyright.PENANAhV81mWiEkQ
"Hmmm? This is taking a while–"36Please respect copyright.PENANAIdNSpTqlVt
36Please respect copyright.PENANAqGkFcgGNRB
And indeed, that cloud of dust faded. It faded rather fast. But then Rover realized it wasn't that the dust faded. Rather, something had stolen its spot.36Please respect copyright.PENANAR8GMCeNJ51
36Please respect copyright.PENANAkCWxi5jMKF
The arm of a titan, reaching out for her, with its open palm like a claw. Rover's instincts forced her body to dash away. Then she stood and watched. Watched as a hulking mass exited the site of the explosion.36Please respect copyright.PENANAoR087kH2zN
36Please respect copyright.PENANA7iqCLqAMKx
Then, it shrunk.36Please respect copyright.PENANAauzEbiazBS
36Please respect copyright.PENANAmw1IkSIjPB
"Oh ho ho, you marvelous beast."36Please respect copyright.PENANAH31r5k3Jc1
36Please respect copyright.PENANAZNPGkzHMry
Boris' robes were gone. Cinders, undeniably. Then was the leather armor Rover knew he always wore. That was gone too. The only article of clothing that remained were his pants, and even they were hardly intact. He was covered in burns blistered the likes of which she'd never seen, and his earthen arms were now missing. By all strings of reasoning, Rover should've dashed in and dealt the final blow. But she couldn't.36Please respect copyright.PENANA0Snc7FAdhu
36Please respect copyright.PENANAnWcE5flp45
Come to think of it, it was the first time she'd seen a part of his body aside from his face. And now she felt as if she just discovered a new man. Because all around Boris' torso was a carpet of gaping, sporadic holes.36Please respect copyright.PENANAR2eudT0pCb
36Please respect copyright.PENANAcEGKMBo4lS
"I can see it in your face. Your disgust. But I know that there's awe in those eyes. How couldn't there be?"36Please respect copyright.PENANAn0NhBpFZOB
36Please respect copyright.PENANAVqw651aAh0
Rover snapped out of her trance and brandished her dagger.36Please respect copyright.PENANAGY2ddeIYzw
36Please respect copyright.PENANATwbnt1X1xo
"What you're seeing is my Endowment. Many have called it a curse, but I'm not so ungrateful to insult it like that."36Please respect copyright.PENANAm3wmwO0sAx
36Please respect copyright.PENANAOFAqdJEgRd
Boris raised his unbroken arm. He began mana spinning, forming a brick of earth in his hand. And then, from the large hole centered at his navel, the very same brick spewed out and plummeted to the ground.36Please respect copyright.PENANAn9qhLe7OOG
36Please respect copyright.PENANAL08HLU5Osq
And then, a few seconds later, another brick spat out a different hole.36Please respect copyright.PENANASkRMKjNNFC
36Please respect copyright.PENANAA4R59VJIhV
"Those arms I formed made for a dandy shield, wouldn't you say? Though of course, you hit me in the last place it spawned. Lucky you."36Please respect copyright.PENANAcS7U50B14j
36Please respect copyright.PENANApnTaJPBMBu
Another brick spewed out. It came from his shoulder.36Please respect copyright.PENANAi5aMj2xclh
36Please respect copyright.PENANANC0gl6uDra
"Well, you've certainly made a mess of my face. But I don't need good looks anyway."36Please respect copyright.PENANAwKdI48f9Gb
36Please respect copyright.PENANAboekHMSBOX
He dropped the brick in his hand right as another spewed out. He wound his arm, as if to stretch it, then gazed at Rover with the eyes of a monster.36Please respect copyright.PENANAkpS2b9lFnT
36Please respect copyright.PENANAtdTZfQmnkJ
"You're not done fighting, are you? Come on."36Please respect copyright.PENANAVIehDmpRvv
36Please respect copyright.PENANAmAPkot7occ
"...Freak."36Please respect copyright.PENANAOeO9H2C8lv
36Please respect copyright.PENANATN0HcsZTg6
"Oh yeah. You loved calling me that before, didn't you?"36Please respect copyright.PENANA7kn56XqG3q
36Please respect copyright.PENANAVfkXrzN6wk
"And just look at how right I was."36Please respect copyright.PENANAAhzoXxYSJP
36Please respect copyright.PENANA5kZn2DwkV3
A hearty chuckle came from him.36Please respect copyright.PENANACDE2ArZ40g
36Please respect copyright.PENANAWIk8Fv27RN
"Well, that won't do you any good."36Please respect copyright.PENANA4ii4HzBLyD
36Please respect copyright.PENANAPHOtCHNmUV
Boris entered a stance, taunting Rover yet again.36Please respect copyright.PENANAwJGZnZSijn
36Please respect copyright.PENANASVWKNAraDE
"Come on. My legs are scorched. Your marvelous plan gave you this opportunity."36Please respect copyright.PENANAQVk4TwqfjE
36Please respect copyright.PENANAb2oKCYIZlX
She put one leg forward.36Please respect copyright.PENANAnDQ5TUFaWw
36Please respect copyright.PENANAHa30esAd0m
"You've got brains since the last time we met. At least, more than I expected. You used them well. You're still worth keeping around."36Please respect copyright.PENANAL23d8U8So0
36Please respect copyright.PENANA6ZFlawQsyC
Then another. Boris' grin grew wider.36Please respect copyright.PENANAayT9SVlgru
36Please respect copyright.PENANAc2k7ubI8gi
"A helpless dog like you shouldn't loiter around! Come on, Rover! Don't you have something to prove!?"36Please respect copyright.PENANARJqvpdecqM
36Please respect copyright.PENANASjyT0uFYlp
And even through his manic glare, Rover sprinted. She sprinted with energy to finish, the will to see that monster put down.36Please respect copyright.PENANAilEz8xeFyH
36Please respect copyright.PENANA0v27v6VRY3
–
–
–36Please respect copyright.PENANA7XPMQr0iwT
36Please respect copyright.PENANAOO5tfUy0y9
–From an onlooker's perspective, Rover could see why she'd get concerned stares. Even though her body locomoted tactfully in the fight, the windows to her mind made contorted, bemused shapes. And the removal of her dagger compounded that contortion.36Please respect copyright.PENANATmrJxOezW9
36Please respect copyright.PENANAxSHYaB4EDt
She threw a fist forward. It was slapped away by Boris, and he attempted a counterattack. Rover tucked her head just in time, and with the tiny space between her skull and his arm, she jumped. Boris avoided a dislocation, but Rover kept the assault with a kick from the side. It was blocked by his other hand. She slipped away just before it got caught, and using her right leg like an anchor, delivered a flurry of kicks at Boris, who went to block them.36Please respect copyright.PENANAxsWRTt9OHg
36Please respect copyright.PENANAAedYGgBH8K
–Rover's kicks were laced. Whether it hampered or bolstered them wasn't something she knew or cared about. At some point, she forgot all about the process of kicking, her mind wandering to holes in her gut. The oozing pastries behind the glass, unable to snatch that gilded stash.
Boris quit his consecutive parries, realizing that such a task was a fool's game. He backed away, which took a moment to compute with Rover, and Boris used that moment to charge in and deliver a quick blow. Rover fortunately blocked it, and as she didn't slide across the room, she had ample leverage to pull a maneuver. She spread her arms and wrapped them around Boris, turning around and putting it over her shoulder. Boris was bigger than her, but that mattered little with her strength. She threw him onto the ground, and his back's unceremonious clash with the floor made its effects apparent on his face. However, Boris pointed his vacant hand at her and out came a burst of wind. Rover didn't have the reflexes to dodge at such a short range and went flying across the room.36Please respect copyright.PENANAaTBRb2Zg3j
36Please respect copyright.PENANA7F0i6tQaQ3
–Those morphing cakes reeked of red. Its verdant smell commanded her to smash the glass, but she was smarter than that. She knew that if she broke the shield, she'd lose on the spot. And that couldn't happen. Her blood boiled to steam. Her teeth ground themselves to powder. It was inevitable, seeing as that's how it always went.36Please respect copyright.PENANApQEQex9hfP
36Please respect copyright.PENANA6K9gWjNo6V
Boris jumped up from the floor right as Rover landed on it. She struggled to get back on her feet, as the blow from his spell sent her head into a frenzy, but she made do with her wobbly knees. Boris charged forth and tackled with his shoulder. Rover tried to block it, and though she avoided any serious damage, she was swept off her feet yet again. Boris followed with a kick, but right as his foot was about to connect, another gust of wind blew from his chest. It saved Rover from a painful blow and sent Boris soaring away, but the edges of the gust still connected, and she was back on the floor.36Please respect copyright.PENANAXPUW801Kay
36Please respect copyright.PENANAv1vtRQprKV
–When things get at arm's length, they become untouchable. But the obstacle isn't always a protective pane of glass. Sometimes it's a shelf, one just high enough so it's out of your reach. Rover jumped for years, but every time her legs grew stronger, or her arms grew longer, the shelf grew with her, but always a little more. Eventually, her fiddling fingertips couldn't even brush it.36Please respect copyright.PENANAZTBL1XgNbx
36Please respect copyright.PENANA9ZXXlFk8SK
Rover fought yet again to get her feet to the ground. She wiped her mouth with her arm and spat out blood-infused spit. She must've cut her inner cheek.36Please respect copyright.PENANA4IIvGfFduj
36Please respect copyright.PENANADvSaeiBhRt
Boris was far away from her, but charing with full awareness. His pace slugged from before, it was clear to Rover that the explosion still affected him. She used that thought to muster her remaining strength and met Boris' charge head-on. The two entered a series of throwing and avoiding fists, and Rover's superior speed gave her an edge. She landed blows square in the chest, and as she hit his pores, they immediately constricted. Rover cared little as to what that meant and kept bashing, but then Boris landed a fist into her cheek. She rolled with the hit as well as she could before rounding back with her strongest punch yet. It landed right into Boris' palm. He twirled his arm, a clear attempt to break Rover's own, but she had experience with such tricks. She put her free hand onto Boris' and jumped, countering his rotation with her own, and kicking him in the head. But Boris didn't release his grasp, and instead threw Rover up and punted her gut.
–There was almost no doubt in her mind of what would happen. It was inevitable, in spite of her struggle. She was going to lose. Would she die? She knew Boris well enough, and so she knew she wouldn't. But to her, no future existed beyond the time of her loss. No prospects are had at the precipice of failure. It was like the blackness of recollecting one's memory as a fetus. But if these rotten thoughts were all that were within her, then maybe she could've squeezed out a tie.
Rover fell to the ground, wheezing and panting, remnants of her stomach escaping from her mouth. She expected an immediate attack and braced herself, but such an attack never came–
**THUD**36Please respect copyright.PENANAZz6YCN1EcC
36Please respect copyright.PENANAk3VHPnJ1Lo
Rover ate a kick to the face. She rolled across the ground but stopped herself quickly. Her right eye was covered in red, but she could see Boris even through a blizzard. He stomped to her, but Rover didn't move. She reached into the sheath and grabbed the hilt of her dagger, and right as Boris was in range to attack, she threw the weapon at her.36Please respect copyright.PENANAkBrHmRXcQ9
36Please respect copyright.PENANAT8Yy12L42E
–There were chains around her arms, doubts in and out of hiding, pouncing and making escapes with military expertise. There was guilt in her limbs, the ones she used to seal the oath she carelessly shattered. There was anger in her stomach, the one that was always there, residing like a parasite but pulsing now as if it was bound to burst. There was sorrow in her heart, the one she used to fuel words about things she just didn't understand. The one she used to hope. But one affliction was chief among them all.36Please respect copyright.PENANAxxkPWv3Iie
36Please respect copyright.PENANAvpUwulzxHZ
Boris was caught off guard, but not as much as Rover hoped. He just raised one of his arms and let the dagger pierce right through. Boris' screaming was nearly musical to her. Blood leaked from the edges; it was clear the dagger was like a clog. But even so, Boris pulled the dagger out of his arm and sealed the blood-spewing hole with his fingers, performing mana spinning.36Please respect copyright.PENANAms50aHI27U
36Please respect copyright.PENANAm0IIOyCH5e
"You have gotten smarter. Or maybe I've just gotten dumber."36Please respect copyright.PENANANnCp9yUBka
36Please respect copyright.PENANA2oZ2MkbmCr
Rover tried to get up and attack. After all, he was right in front of her, making himself vulnerable. She tried, and she was able to get her upper body off the floor, but Boris kept her down with another kick to the chin. Any strength to rise departed, and all Rover could do was watch as Boris approached.36Please respect copyright.PENANA10ld4ZIKwE
36Please respect copyright.PENANApK27nWbWci
"What a shame. For you, of course. This is the closest you've ever gotten, but you didn't have that extra push."36Please respect copyright.PENANA8mwANAZlA5
36Please respect copyright.PENANAoUqs2IIIhK
Rover balled his hands into a fist, scowling at Boris with daggers for eyes.36Please respect copyright.PENANA9HH2pQ4Qcy
36Please respect copyright.PENANAWevIERe1xs
"Relax, now. Twisting your face won't kill me. Might as well save the energy."36Please respect copyright.PENANAN6pDTkAOcE
36Please respect copyright.PENANAJ2otJO8BhW
"You... ass."36Please respect copyright.PENANAbfY9SYIpQd
36Please respect copyright.PENANAVSfppJqhRD
Boris stopped before her legs, staring at them while pinching his chin. Rover couldn't begin to imagine what was going on in his head. But she kept on scowling, even hissing at him as if the action would deter him at all.36Please respect copyright.PENANAs31vyOXyAy
36Please respect copyright.PENANAzQmCWM9jNc
"You're not crawling away?"36Please respect copyright.PENANAYOPwaLihjQ
36Please respect copyright.PENANAbYT7F4iTNc
"...I'm not a damn worm."36Please respect copyright.PENANAHUizCQwGxk
36Please respect copyright.PENANAicyqDF4WlC
"Right. You never were the type to do that. But your insults are missing. Well, not that it matters."36Please respect copyright.PENANAKkvrxF0yFS
36Please respect copyright.PENANA1M9zPDwfPJ
Boris crouched down and gazed at her legs. A shiver crawled up Rover's spine, one that left tingling dread in its wake.36Please respect copyright.PENANAKe7nesmqr3
36Please respect copyright.PENANAVJlvccMsT6
"I'm spent, but I can't let you run around either. So how about I do, this?"36Please respect copyright.PENANA850ceYdzcC
36Please respect copyright.PENANAWofbiZljsA
He grabbed her left leg by the ankle, and as he did so, he began mana expulsion. He formed a great club of earth in his hand and walked over to her hip. Immediately, Rover knew what was going to happen. She moved her arm in an attempt to slap it away, but her hands couldn't reach him.36Please respect copyright.PENANAnnvWMWOhn3
36Please respect copyright.PENANABVR7rCjmCy
But, she still tried. As Boris raised the club above his head, the corners of her eyes were taken by darkness. More and more area, subjugated by black until only the very center of her pupils had the ability to look. They stared at the club, as it stood motionless above his head, and she knew any second it would come down, and she knew any second she would be made a fool.36Please respect copyright.PENANAdJ66iDSLYl
36Please respect copyright.PENANA0EbHZyYaQ6
And she couldn't do a thing.36Please respect copyright.PENANAsJ5C5RBuaq
36Please respect copyright.PENANA7UDdYHEdyE
–Frustration. It was her frustration. The object of her long-lived hatred, its ambassador stood right there. But she was being beaten down like a dog. An injured mutt who had to limp on all but one of its legs, even unable to beg. At the edge of achieving her dream, her ultimate goal, she was forced to watch it slip further and further away. And then she realized, she couldn't destroy Hard-Bringer. And then she realized, she couldn't even scratch it. And then she realized, she'd have to wait again, and then train again, and then search again, and then despair again. And as the final blow of the battle came, only two words sprung from her mind:36Please respect copyright.PENANAcy4fKiZWiU
36Please respect copyright.PENANAHjBjiFwCm3
Sorry, mom–36Please respect copyright.PENANASbh4W9vYgr
36Please respect copyright.PENANAulfNxbi18X
**CRACK**36Please respect copyright.PENANAuYzCHZFxD5
36Please respect copyright.PENANAWHXsQ4d7wp
"AG– AAAAAAAAAAHCK!"36Please respect copyright.PENANAUaA89WMknD
36Please respect copyright.PENANAMCyXhBSyGc
Her nearly six years of combat experience couldn't have prepared her for this.36Please respect copyright.PENANA1FjaNfDzcT
36Please respect copyright.PENANAffZhdd55DF
"And there goes your leg."36Please respect copyright.PENANAkGolub1aC8
36Please respect copyright.PENANAlGdfs33s89
She knew of no word to describe the sensation. Seething, writhing, pounding, shocking,
burning, aching, twitching, pulsing, churning– nothing came to her mind to describe it. The shattering of her femur, shooting fragments of bone like shrapnel to the lining of her skin, but not enough to pierce it. As if dozens of bugs drilled through her flesh, as if an entire home landed on her leg– that's what it was like.36Please respect copyright.PENANAxw2gtH6hzO
36Please respect copyright.PENANArky6dWD0FS
"It's funny. If it hadn't only been you, I'd probably be dead."36Please respect copyright.PENANA6SoVumlP93
36Please respect copyright.PENANAmLx6btskwK
She couldn't even move to clutch her leg, to soothe it in any way. The most she could do was groan and yell and grit her teeth, but none of that was possible at once, and when her focus got captivated by his words the way it did, the pain exponentiated.
"Dogs like you– they like to hunt alone. But the moment they face something threatening, they bite just short of drawing blood. Maybe then, you're a defective wolf."36Please respect copyright.PENANA1W5yr0vYlk
36Please respect copyright.PENANAOPmNUDaaOH
Boris uncrouched and stepped away as a club of earth spat from a pore. He was clearly haggard, limping as he walked away, hardly able to move one leg before the other. That was the only consolidation Rover was afforded; a tiny solace within the sea of agony.36Please respect copyright.PENANA55ExmQuu1i
36Please respect copyright.PENANAIjRyTkr4uR
But those words of his stole it away.36Please respect copyright.PENANAkel2GUq3yc
36Please respect copyright.PENANAJVvdDNvZQn
"Raw strength wins yet again. You got close, but I am still undefeated. Until we meet again, Rover."36Please respect copyright.PENANAxDoH1rdU2T
36Please respect copyright.PENANAevqjIUDEoC
Boris continued limping away until he reached the wall. Then, reeling his fist back, he smashed the glass panes open. He looked down and whistled before turning around and looking at Rover.36Please respect copyright.PENANARjhOWUbtzi
36Please respect copyright.PENANAf6YLO29o1k
She wanted to scream, but all the efforts of her throat and lungs were channeled to ease her suffering. And oh, how she hated it. How she hated the grin of his face, an arrangement of his teeth and mouth designed for eating feces. He waved her goodbye and jumped off while cackling like a witch.36Please respect copyright.PENANAfUh1hYSpI2
36Please respect copyright.PENANA5aNOhpPnYG
No strength to draw, no will to push. All Rover could do was lay there and cope, lamenting her loss and that wretched monster's words.